Awesome Bow Tie Pasta

"A delicious pasta salad for salad or side dish that's not heavy, but delightful! Substitute halved grape tomatoes for the diced tomato for variety. This is great for if you need a fast pasta dish, but refrigerate 1 to 2 hours for more blended flavors. Optional: Add sliced black olives."

Most Helpful Positive Review

May 10, 2006

I really enjoy making and eating this pasta salad. I do have some alterations I reccomend though. I always add some coarse ground garlic salt, ground black pepper and basil. Now that it's summer, I've been adding a bit of fresh basil, but usually I use dried. Both are good. I use halved grape tomatoes instead of diced big tomatoes. I also grill a couple of chicken breasts, marinated in italian dressing, and cube them into the salad. I like to toast some pine nuts and toss them in just before serving too. I always make this dish the night before I plan to serve it. It makes a HUGE difference. If it comes out a bit too dry for you, just increase the vinegar and oil. I add a couple Tablespoons of water to my balsamic vinegar, because it's slightly strong for me, but my mother loves it before I add the water. Great recipe for picnics and luncheons! It looks pretty served over a bed of baby spinach and a few fresh basil leaves on top

Most Helpful Critical Review

Jul 22, 2010

I usually love cold pasta salads, but I just can't give this recipe a good review. I don't see what all the hype is about. WAY too much vinegar!! I made this for 3 other family members and none of us liked it. The whole batch went straight into the trash.

My roommate and I LOVED this pasta salad. I made a few changes to the recipe. As suggested by other reviewers I used a 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes instead of fresh and I added two tablespoons of dried oregano plus two tablespoons of dried basil. I used basil and tomato feta cheese. It turned out amazing! Don't forget to add a touch of salt. If you enjoy Feta cheese and Balsamic Vinegar then you will love this tricky concoction. Very unique recipe.

Feta cheese lovers will enjoy this recipe. In- stead of using balsamic and oil, try substituting "Yasou" which is a store bought non-creamy greek dressing. Halved cherry tomatoes work beautifully as well. Very quick and delicious recipe.

I thought this was delicious. As suggested by others, I used white balsamic vinegar to avoid turning the pasta brown. I used grape/cherry tomatoes sliced in half and mediterranean flavored feta cheese. I made it to serve tomorrow so mixed up extra dressing in case it needs it. It was delicious today, so can't imagine that it will be even better tomorrow.
Yummy!

Ehh...it was okay. It tasted kind of bland...kind of like just the viniger and fetta. Everything else didn't have much taste. Oh well. I was looking forward to that.
I am now editing my review. The above is what I wrote directly after making the dish, and I had given it 3 stars. I am now giving it five stars, because after it is in the refrigerator for the night it was amazing amazing amazing. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipie.

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.